Vending machine



June 18, 1935. 5, MA Km 2,005,097

VENDING MACHINE Filed June 17 1933 2 sheets sheec l INVENTOR ATTORNEY June 18, 1935. s. M. MALKIN VENDING MACHINE 'Filed June 17, 1933 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEER a z ATTORNEY Patented June 18, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VENDING MACHINE Application Jim's 17, 1933, Serial No. 676,299

6Claims.

This invention relates to machines for vending cigars, small packages, and the like. and more particularly to improvements in means for ejecting the articles being vended from the machine.

Heretofore, in machines for vending cigars, and the like, it has been the practice to supply the cigars in flat cartons which are inserted in the machine, and when the carton is emptied it is necessary to supply the machine with a filled carton. When a popular brand of cigar is vended, obviously frequent refilling will be necessary, and many times the machine will be found empty.

It is an object of this invention to provide an ejecting device for vending machines which enables the use of two cartons of cigars, or similar articles, the cigars being first dispensed from a rear carton until that carton is empty, and then dispensed from the forward carton. The casing for the machine is provided with a window exposing at all times the forward carton and enabling the brand of cigars being vended to be advertised as long as there are cigars in the forward carton. The casing is also provided with a window in one of its sides to at all times expose the revenue stamps on the cartons as required by the Government.

A further object is the provision in a vending machine for cigars and the like, of an ejecting device having means to prevent the transparent paper or cellophane wrappers of the cigars engaging and catching on to parts of the device and interfering with proper ejecting of the cigars.

A further object is the provision in a vending machine for cigars, etc. of an ejecting device for automatically ejecting cigars one at a time from a rear carton until that carton is empty, and then automatically ejecting cigars'from a forward carton, without necessitating any movement whatever of the cartons.

.These and other advantageous objects which will later appear, are accomplished by the simple and practical construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and exhibited in the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the vending machine with the front cover removed,

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view with a side removed,

Fig. 3 is a partial side elevational view of the machine showing .a transparent window in a side thereof to expose revenue stamps on the cartons, the side walls of the carton being broken to showthe commodity being vended,

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the ejecting device,

Fig. 5 is a side viewof the ejecting device. showing the position of parts when cigars are being dispensed from the rear carton.

Fig. 6 is a view taken on line H of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the ejecting device showing the position of parts when cigars are being ejected from the forward carton, and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the oscillating carriage with its means for support fragmentarily shown.

Referring to the drawings, the vending machine is shown to include a rectangular casing 9, of a common type, having a front cover (not shown) which is generally provided with a transparent window to expose the commodity being vended. In a side wall III, of the casing there is provided a transparent window H (see Figs. 1 and 3) to expose the revenue stamps on the cartons positioned in the casing.

Positioned in the casing are a pair of flat'metal carton holders l2, l3 adapted to receive flat cartons of cigars, the holders being spaced from the rear wall It of the casing and from each other respectively by members It and IS. The holders rest upon a stationary frame I, which is attached to flanges I'I flxed to and projecting from the side walls of the casing by means of screws. engaging internally threaded members It projecting from and integral with a vertical plate 25 of the frame l9, (see Figs. 2 and 5). The frame l9 has a pair of spaced side walls 2|, which support a horizontal plate 2|, having an aperture therein opening into a chute 22, formed by the forward and rear walls 23, 24 also supported by the side walls 2'.

Slidably mounted on the horizontal plate 2i is a rectangular carriage 20, having spaced cross members 21 and 28, each of said members having substantially the width of a cigar or the commodity being vended, and provided with downturned flanges, respectively 3| and '32. Freely sliding on the plate 2i and not attached to the carriage 25, is a similar cross member 29 having downturned flanges 33, (see Figs. 8, 5 and '7).

Each of the downturned flanges of the crossmembers are provided with a pair of spaced ribs 3|, to space cigars from the flanges and prevent lengthwise contact therewith. v

Pivotally connected to the forward cross-member 28 is an arm 34 of a lever fulcrumed at 35 to a projection 3 from the plate 25, The other arm 31 of the lever is pivotallyconnected to bars 3! slidably mounted in a guide 38 integral with the vertical plate 25. The bars 38 are attached to a vertical plate 40 having substantially the height of a cigar, and slidable over a horizontal flange 4| projecting from the plate 25. Attached tothe plate 40 is a rectangular frame 42, having side walls of less height than the plate 40, and having attached to its rear member 42, a vertical plate 44, substantially of the same height as the plate 44.

In operation, cigars are dispensed first from the rear carton in the rear carton holder 2, thelower end of the carton being open so that the lowermost cigar will normally rest on the cross member 21. To eject a cigar, the carriage 20 is moved rearwardly to move the cross-member 21 to the position shown in Fig. 5, which allows a cigar to fall upon the plate 2|. The carriage 26 is then moved forwardly, and the cross member 21 moves the cigar into the chute 22, at the same time placing itself below the next cigar so that only one cigar is ejected at a time. During the movement of the carriage, no cigars can be ejected from the carton in the forward carton holder l3; until the rear carton is empty, as the lowermost cigar in the forward carton, at all times rests either on the forward cross-member 28' or the floating cross-member 2!, the movement of the latter rearwardly being limited by engagement with the cigar being ejected from the rear carton, and the space between the adjacent flange j! and the cigar in the rear carton is less than the width of a cigar, so that there is no possibility of more than one cigar being ejected at a time. The ejected cigar falls-down upon the flange 4|, and the carriage moves the cross-member 21 back to the position shown in Fig. 5. When the member 21 is again moved forward to eject a cigar, the plate .40 moves rearwardly to shove the cigar on the flange 4| into a receiving chute 45 of the casing. It will be seen, therefore, a complete cycle of operation comprises the movement of the carriage 26 to allow a cigar to fall upon the flange 4|, and then movement of the plate 40 to shove the cigar off of the flange 4|, at the same time causing movement of the carriage to position another cigar on the flange 4|, so that at all times there is a cigar on the flange 4|. The space between the rear edge of the flange 4| and the rear plate 44 is less than the width of a cigar except when the plate 40 is moved rearwardly as above described, thus preventing any possibility of dispensing more than one cigar at a time.

Inasmuch as it is the custom at present to wrap cigars in transparent paper and in substances known as cellophane, the plates 40 and 44 are spaced inwardly from and above the members of the rectangular frame 4| to provide space to accommodate projecting wrappers due to improper wrapping or packing, and thus prevent possibilities of the wrappers catching in the mecha 29, and the latter moves to a position as shown in Fig. 7, and allows a cigar from the forward carton to be shoved by the flange 32 on member 28 into the chute 22, the member 28, as shown in Fig. 7 preventing ejecting of more than one cigar at a time. The cigar falls upon the flange 4|,as above explained, and member 28 moves to its extreme forward position to allow a cigar from the forward carton to fall upon plate 2|, and in the next cycle of operations the second cigar is shoved into the chute 22 by the member 28, the first cigar being shoved off of the flange 4| into the chute 45 during the forward movement of member 24. In order to dampen the movements of the floating member 29, a member 4|, having a rounded lower surface, is loosely supported on the side walls 20 of the frame l9, and rests upon the member 29 and during the ejecting of a cigar by the forward cross-member 2!, holds member 29 in a position such as shown in Fig. '7. The member 40 provide a more eflicient operation of the carriage cross-members, but member 46 is not indispensable, and effective operation of the device is possible with the member 46 eliminated.

It will be seen that movement of the carriage 26 and the cycle of operations above described results from the oscillatory movements of the lever fulcrumed at 25. Attached to arms 34 and 31 of the lever, respectively are lugs 41, 44 which are engaged by a cam member 49, rotatably mounted on the projection 36. Rotation of the cam member 49 is accomplished by connection, by means of pin 50, with a well known type of coin controlled mechanism, which is not shown and forms no part of this invention.

The foregoing disclosure is to be regarded as descriptive and illustrative only, and not as restrictive or limitative of the invention, of which obviously an embodiment may be constructed including many modifications, without departing from the general scope herein indicated and denoted in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a vending machine for cigars, said machine being adapted to support a forward carton and a rear carton, said cartons being flat and containing cigars, an ejecting device comprising a frame having a horizontal plate with an aperture therein, vertical plates supported by the frame adjacent said aperture to provide a chute, a rectangular carriage having a pair of spaced cross-members slidably positioned on the plate, a freely movable cross-member slidably positioned on'the plate between the flrst mentioned crossmembers, said cartons being positioned vertically so that the lowermost cigar therein normally rests upon one of the members of the carriage, each of said cross-members being substantially the width of a cigar and having downturned vertical flanges, and means to oscillate the carriage to allow a cigar from the rear carton to fall upon the plate, and subsequently to-be shoved by the rear crossmember into said chute, the forward cross-member and the freely moving cross-member preventing movement of said cigars in the forward carton.

2. In a vending machine for cigars, a casing having positioned therein a forward carton and a rear carton adapted to contain cigars, an ejecting device comprising a frame having a horizontal plate with a transverse aperture therein, vertical plates supported by the frame adjacent said aperture to provide a chute, a carriage having flxed thereto a forward cross-member and a rear cross-member, said cross-members being spaced apart and slidably positioned on the plate, a freely floating movable crossmember slidably positioned on the plate between the first mentioned cross-members, said cartons being positioned vertically so that the lowermost cigar therein normally rests upon one of said cross-members, each of said cross-members being substantially the width of a cigar and having downturned vertical flanges, and means to reciprocate the carriage on the plate so that when the rear cross-member is moved rearwardly a cigar from the rear carton will fall upon the plate and limit rearward movement of the floating cross-member to prevent the discharge of cigars by the forward member, and when the rear cross member is moved forwardly to shove the cigar through the aperture into the chute.

3. In a vending machine for cigars, said machine being adapted to support a forward column and a rear column of horizontally positioned cigars, an ejecting device comprising a plate having a transverse aperture therein, a rectangular carriage having a forward cross-member and a rear cross-member, a freely floating cross-member positioned between the first mentioned crossmembers, the forward column of cigars normally resting upon the forward cross-member or the floating cross-member, and the rear column of cigars normally resting upon the rear crossmember, means to reciprocate the carriage rearwardly and forwardly on the plate, rearward movement of the carriage allowing a cigar from the rear column to fall upon the plate to limit rear movement of the floating cross-member to prevent movement of cigars in the forward column, and forward movement causing the rear cross-member to shove the cigar through the aperture.

4. In a vending machine for cigars, said machine being adapted to support a forward column and a rear column of horizontally positioned cigars, an ejecting device comprising a plate with a transverse slot therein, a forward cross-member and a rear cross-member spaced therefrom, means to connect said cross-members so that they move in unison, a freely movable crossmember positioned between the first mentioned cross-members, said cross-members being slidable on the plate and having downturned flanges, each of said flanges having a pair of spaced vertical ribs,. means to move the forward and rear cross-members rearwardly and backwardly on the plate, movement of said cross-members allowing a cigar to fall from the rear column and be ejected through the slot in the plate, at the same time preventing movement of the cigars in the forward column.

5. In a vending machine for cigars, said machine being adapted to support a forward column and a rear column of horizontally positioned cigars, an ejecting device comprising a plate with a transverse slot therein, a forward cross-membeer and a rear-cross-member spaced therefrom, means to connect said cross-members so that they move in unison, a freely movable crossmember positioned between the first mentioned cross-members, said cross-member being slidable on the plate and having downturned flanges, each of said flanges having a pair of spaced vertical ribs, means to move the forward and rear cross-members rearwardly and backwardly on the plate, movement of said cross-members allowing a cigar to fall from the rear column and be ejected through the slot in the plate, at the same time preventing movement of the cigars in the forward column, and weighted means resting upon the floating cross-member to dampen the movements thereof.

6. In a vending machine for cigars, said machine being adapted to support a forward carton and a rear carton, said cartons being flat and containing cigars, anejecting device comprising a frame having a horizontal plate with an aperture therein, vertical plates supported by the frame adjacent said aperture to provide a chute, a rectangular carriage having a pair of spaced cross-members slidably positioned on the plate, a freely movable cross-member slidably positioned on the plate between the first mentioned cross-members, said cartons being positioned vertically so that the lowermost cigar therein normally rests upon one of the members of the carriage, each of said cross-members being substantially the width of a cigar, and means to oscillate the carriage to allow a cigar from the rear carton to fall upon the plate, and subsequently to be shoved by the rear cross-member into said chute, the forward cross-member and the freely moving cross-member preventing movement of said cigars in the forward carton SAMUEL M. MALKIN 

